Consumable titanium electrode



y 1, 1957 w. HowELL coNSUMABLE= TTANUM ELBcTRoDE= Pi1ed Aug. 19, 1953 3 Inanufactu e of consnxnable titaniun1 electrodes for nse if1 tho nlanufactufe of titaniuIn ingots llSing titaniuo1 sheet of p1ate Scfap, Which sofap he1etofo1e has been pfactiroa11y iInpoSSib1e to Salvage and has invo1ved subStantia1 1oGS.

The method is diagfamn1atica11y 111ustTatod in Figs 1 and Z and inc1udes the initia1 fofn1ing of tifaniuni Sheet blankS 11 ffon1 SoTap sheet titani11In fo nn1fof1 configuTation. The b1ankS 11 then afe aTranged in a suitab1e iig of fofIT1 18 to align the b1ankS in a face to face edge aligned stack. A fao1 19 olay thon hold fhe stacked b1ankS 11 undef pfessuto fo compreSS the blanks into cloSe ITota1 to Inefa1 sufface fo s11ffaco contact. Z1111e fhe b1ankS 11 a1e mainfained undoT fhe pfesSuTe of the fan1 19 they are then tack Weldod, aS at 14, by a Shieldod he1iafo welding too1 tfanSvofsely of the a1igned edges at Severa1 1ocations about tho stack to ioin the blanks i11to a 11nitafy conSunable eloctrodo 19.

In the i1111stfatioI1 of the nlethod iI1 FigS. 1 and Z the -blankS 11 afo shovvn fofn1ed aS sqnaTes affanged face to face veftically vit11in the iig 18 vv11efe they afe he1d under coInpTeSSion While being we1ded to fofn1 the finished conSun1ab1e titaniuIn e1ectrode 10. I1owevef, it iS oontoolplated that othe1 blank ShapeS Such as cifcleS of fectang1es Ilay be cut of of11efvviSe foTn1ed ffon1 titat1iun Sheet of p1ate sctap fof naking a laInioated consun1able titaniUn electTode.

11 making the e1octtode 15 ShoWn in Fig. Tectangolaf blankS 16 afe fornled having 1e11gths equa1 to the longth of t11e electrode to be n1ade, and having vvidths equal to one lateTa1 dinlension of the e1ectfode. 1116 b1ankS 1G aTe then aTfanged in a bundle in c1oSe nleta1 to n1eta1 suffaco to Sufface contact, and the bundle is con1pfessed and yvelded, aS at 17, tTansvefSely of tho edges of the b1a1kS to fofn1 the olectfodo 15.

T he WeldS 14 and 17 ioining the b1anks into unitafy olecffodeS have beo11 deScfibed aS tack vvo1dS extonding diTeotly betvvee11 adiacent b1anks 11 of 16. However, in the a1ternative the blankS n1ay be ioined fogethel' by foeans of Welding a titaniuIn sheet of Sffip stTap to the blankS at 1ocations s11ch aS the locationS of the Welds 14 of 17.

Accordingly, t11e invention pTovides a consunlable e1oo tTodo constfnction and Inethod of Inaking the same Which peTmits the Sa1vaging of titaninm sheet of p1ate scfap foI 4 the nlanufacture of tifaninn1 ingofs, Whefeby Such tita ni11In Scrap n1ay be Snbstantia11y con1plete1y 11ti1izod.

FuTtheTn1ore, the ftnpfoved conStfuctionS and tethod enable the pfoduction of a conSuInable titaniun1 eleotTodo fofIned of a plufaHty of blanks of Sheef nlateI'ia1 Which by TeaSon of itS oompfessed conStruction haS SI111icient e1ectrica1 oonductivity to permit it to bo uSed as a oon sun1able electfodo i11 aI1 aTc fuI1aco fof the pfodnction of titanium ingots.

In the fofegoing deScription, certain teTn1s have been fol bfevity, cleaTneSS and undefStandi11g, bnt no nnneceS- Sa1y 1ilT1itationS aIe to be iITlplied t11efeffon1 beyond t11e Tequifen1ents of the pfiof aft, because suc11 vvofdS afe nSed foI' deSc1iptive pnfpoSeS hoToin and afe intended to be broadly construed.

11OTeover, the en1bodi1ontS of the i1pfoved conStruo tion i1111Strated and descTibed hefein afe by vvay of ex aInple, and the Scope of the pTesent invention is not 11111- ited to the eXact detai1S of oonstruction i11I1strated of de ScTibed.

Having now described the invention, the constTuofions, 1anufacfUre and uSe of pTefeTred e11bodinentS theTeof, and the advantageous neand USefu1 TeSu1ts obtained theTeby, the new and I1SefI11 nlethodS and conStfUctionS and IeaSonable nlechanical equiva1ents thereof obvious to those skined in the aft, aTe set fol'th in the appended claim.

1 clain1= A 1aIninated consnnlab1o titaninn1 e1octfode formed fronl titaninn1 non-apertufed sheet scrap Inatefia1 including a compfessed Stack of titaniun1 scrap b1anks in o1eta1 'to nietaL Sufface to sufface contact and having equa1 din1enSions of width and length, the Stacked b1ankS having .aligned edges, and adjacent blanks being secufed togethef so1ely by tack Welds af thei1 edges.

11ofofonoos (:1fe11 111 the 111e of this patent UNITED STATE PATENTS 461,345 Kfaatz oot. 13, 1891 1,204,037 Laher Mar. 7, 1916 1,619,346 Houston et aL Ma, 1, 1927 Z,448,78 Do1an Sept. 7, 1948 Z,477,Z79 Anderson 1u1y 26, 1949 Z S76,793 1ordan 1 Nov. 27, 191 

